Baptism is Fire and Water
One
Throughout Salvation History, God reveals who He is by using the ancient elements, like earth (I.e. the Ten Commandment or the Temple, made from stone or earth), air (Ruah in Hebrew means breath, wind, or spirit as in the Ruah Yaweh, or Spirit of God cf. Gen 1), fire (He leads Israel by a pillar of fire and destroys wickedness by the same means), and water (He appears to Elijah as a small cloud hovering over the sea, and Ezekiel sees water flowing from the Holy Temple that purifies and gives life). These four elements are mysterious: they are created while revealing the creator. They are tangible while conveying the Spiritual. They are temporal while manifesting the Eternal. The earth has its own visible meaning, while also showing a deeper significance, the beauty and power of the Divine Designer. The world is wonderful; a sign to help us understand the wonderworker, God. As the Psalmist proclaims, “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).
Two
In the New Testament, Jesus transforms these same elements to dispense His grace and merits in the form of the Sacraments and sacramentals. “The Son of God became man so that man might become God” (CCC #460)! By entering into communion with Jesus, we receive divine sonship and partake in His divine nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4). Through the mysteries of the Sacraments, visible signs instituted by Christ, He gives us grace. In the book of Exodus, water is a common theme in the life of Moses and Israel. God constantly saves Moses and His people through water to deliver them to the promised land. Thus, water is both a visible source of physical salvation, as well as a sign that points to spiritual salvation.
In Ezekiel, the angel of God shows the prophet a mystical vision of the water flowing from the Holy Temple, getting deeper and more purifying and vivifying the further it flows from the Temple sanctuary and into the world. God further reveals, “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you will be clean from all your uncleanness and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you and a new spirit I will put within you…and will cause you to walk in my statutes and obey my ordinances” (Ez 36:25-27).
Three
St. Paul reminds St. Titus Jesus saves us not by the merit of our own deeds, but by his mercy, “washing” us by “regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit…so that we might be justified by His grace and heirs of hope in eternal life” (Titus 3: 5-7). The SS and the Catechism teaches that through Baptism, we become a “new creation,” (cf 2 Cor 5:17) and that the Holy Spirit dwells in us now as in a Temple (1 Cor 6:19). We are baptized into Christ Jesus, becoming His “light,” becoming Light itself, enlightened by the understanding through faith of His Word (CCC # 1216). We are not only saved through these waters made Sacred by Christ’s own baptism but can say with St. Paul, “It is no longer I but Christ who lives in me…” (Gal 2:20). Jesus attaches this meaning in the Sacrament of Baptism for one reason: He longs to dwell in you!
Four
If the world naturally points to God in its four classic elements and Jesus uses material signs to convey His grace, then why don’t more people discover the wonders of God in his creation and obey Him? In fact, why do some view the elements of the world as magical powers to be used for personal gain while simultaneously hating Christianity and seeing God’s existence as a threat to their power?
In Genesis chapter 3, Satan tempts Adam and Eve to rebel, becoming gods by defining for themselves good and evil. This seductive lie conceals its true meaning, death and destruction. We are tempted to become God without god. Satan’s deception confuses the power of God which God manifests through His elements, with power being contained in the elements themselves. This rebellion is the founding principle for all secular world views, tempting souls to lose trust for their heavenly Father, only then to create their system of thought. Consider three different reactions to seeing a rainbow. A Christian says, ‘wow, look at the beauty of God!’ A pagan says, ‘let’s worship it’ and a scientist says, ‘it’s only light refracted by moisture.’
As St. Paul states, “…Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made…”
He then warns, “Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity… because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator. (Rom 1: 18-25).
Five
Baptism purifies us of the idolatry of self. By promising to give us new hearts, God cleanses us from the inordinate desire of self-love. By placing His Spirit within us, we now have what we are looking for: we become like God, conquering the threats to our happiness: death, suffering, and the devil. Today, find out your baptismal date, put it on the calendar, and try to celebrate it with greater reverence and joy than even your birthday, for this day is our true Birthday, birth into everlasting life!